The tale of a denied trophy, endless politics and some cricket

New Delhi: A day after India clinched their ninth Asia Cup title with a five-wicket victory over Pakistan, the spotlight refused to linger on the team’s unbeaten campaign or their Rs 21 crore prize fund. Instead, a trophy presentation marred by political tensions has set off one of the most controversial debates in recent cricket history.

Suryakumar Yadav’s men had held their nerves through seven matches, completing the campaign with Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 sealing the summit clash. Yet, when the moment came for the winners to lift the silverware, the stage turned into a symbol of hostility between India and Pakistan rather than a sporting celebration.

Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi – also Pakistan’s Interior Minister and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board – stood waiting on the presentation dais with the trophy in hand. The Indian team, however, declined to step forward, refusing to accept the award from him. The reason, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) later clarified, lay in Naqvi’s past anti-India remarks and his public ridicule of India’s ‘Operation Sindoor,’ a military response after 26 Indian citizens were killed in a Pakistan-backed terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this year.

Caught in a deadlock, Naqvi eventually left the stage, followed by ACC staff carrying the trophy. The hardware remains at the ACC headquarters in Dubai, leaving India with medals and prize money but no physical trophy.

“This is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing and following cricket—that a champion team is denied a trophy. It was a hard-earned win,” captain Suryakumar Yadav said, struggling to mask his disappointment.

The drama unfolded as players’ families, including Yadav’s wife Devisha and head coach Gautam Gambhir’s family, stood on the ground expecting a traditional victory celebration. Instead, they watched the team hold its ground 25 yards from the dais, unwilling to step closer.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia strongly defended the team’s stance, calling the incident unprecedented. “India cannot take the trophy from the person who is waging a war against our country,” he declared at a press conference in Mumbai.

Saikia said the Board would lodge a “very strong protest” at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) meeting in Dubai in November. “We have taken a decision not to accept the trophy, but that does not allow the gentleman to take away the trophy and the medals to his hotel. This is unexpected and very childish in nature,” he said.

The secretary praised the team’s dominant run, noting, “India won all seven matches, including three against Pakistan. This is a big victory and a big-time cricket achievement for the country.”

Saikia also explained India’s participation in the tournament, despite strong calls for a boycott after the Pahalgam killings. “The government’s policy is clear: India will not play bilateral series with hostile nations. But in multinational tournaments like the Asia Cup, we must compete to avoid international sanctions,” he said.

Relations between the two teams had already been icy throughout the competition. India had enforced a ‘No Handshake Policy’, with players avoiding physical gestures of camaraderie toward their Pakistani counterparts. Reports suggest Naqvi’s online posts during ‘Operation Sindoor’—including cryptic videos mocking India’s air force—further hardened Indian players’ resolve to boycott him at the presentation.

Suryakumar insisted the decision was spontaneous. “No one told us to do this. The call to boycott Naqvi was taken at the ground,” he said.

The fallout has drawn sharp criticism from Pakistan. Team captain Salman Ali Agha accused the Indian side of disrespect. “I don’t want to use harsh words, but they’ve been very disrespectful,” he said at the post-match media interaction.

Salman claimed Suryakumar had privately shaken his hand at the start of the tournament but avoided public contact. “I’m sure he’s following instructions, but if it was up to him, he’d shake hands with me,” Salman remarked.

On the trophy dispute, the Pakistani skipper defended Naqvi. “Of course, the ACC president will give the trophy to the winners. If you won’t take it from him, how will you get it?” he asked.

Naqvi himself has not formally commented on the trophy controversy but responded to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory post. Modi had compared the victory to ‘Operation Sindoor’, which eliminated several Pakistan-based terror camps in May. Naqvi accused Modi of undermining the spirit of the game with that analogy.

Within India, questions remain over the decision to participate in the tournament. Opposition leaders had earlier accused the BCCI of putting revenue before national pride in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. Those criticisms persist despite the team’s success.

Seeking to bridge the gap between triumph and public sentiment, Suryakumar announced that he would donate his Rs 28 lakh match fee from the tournament to the armed forces and the families of the Pahalgam victims.

“This was a hard-fought victory on the field, but off the field, my heart is with those who lost their lives in Pahalgam. This is my small way of standing with them,” he said.

For the Indian team, the Asia Cup was otherwise an unblemished success story. They went unbeaten, defeating Pakistan thrice, including in the final. Varma’s consistency, Gambhir’s coaching strategies, and the team’s all-round performance highlighted their dominance in the region. Yet, instead of being celebrated for their cricketing excellence, the conversation has shifted almost entirely to politics.

The controversy also raises logistical questions for the future of multinational cricket tournaments involving India and Pakistan. With the next ICC meeting set for November, how cricketing bodies navigate political sensitivities will determine whether such confrontations become routine.

For now, the Indian team remains without the very trophy they fought to win, a symbol of how geopolitics can eclipse sport. As Saikia put it bluntly, “Today, with this handsome win over Pakistan and the thumping victory of 3-0, I am sure we will bring a lot of happiness to our people. But the issue of the trophy is far from over.”